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Featuring choreography from Stewart/Owen Dance and original writing from Gina Cornejo, this cringe-worthy, yet charming film brings together seven artists to enchant viewers from the comfort of their homes. Both an invitation to open dialogue and an offering of solidarity, DIRTY LAUNDRY passionately unearths gritty topics that are often buried.
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Note: This film uses explicit language describing adult situations.
Recommended for ages 16+.
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Stewart/Owen Dance and Gina Cornejo’s performance of DIRTY LAUNDRY is made possible by the generous support of private donors and Wortham Center for the Performing Arts.
Meet the Team
GINA CORNEJO, WRITER AND PERFOMER
The daughter of a Peruvian mariachi singer and a professional jazz dancer from Chicago, Gina's captivation with the arts began in her bloodline. With an extensive background in the Chicago theater scene and original works featured on Audible and in Teatro Luna (Chicago/LA), Gina has a distinct ability to stir the souls of her audiences.
Gina, Vanessa and Gavin met for the first time on Zoom in the summer of 2020, and the trio began to collaborate almost immediately thereafter. You may remember Gina from Stewart/Owen's dance and spoken word exhibit at the Wortham, Still:Life, when she joined Gavin and Vanessa onstage amidst a maze of hanging ropes to perform her original piece, "Atmosphere". In the winter of 2021, Gina, Stewart/Owen and Michael-Jamar Jean Francois filmed a re-imagined "Atmosphere" in the historic Blue Ridge Fire Tower which premiered in March at Hillsboro Community College in Ybor City, FL.
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VANESSA OWEN AND GAVIN STEWART,
DIRECTORS AND CHOREOGRAPHERS
Vanessa and Gavin's choreography has been presented by festivals and companies across the U.S., and their careers have most notably taken them across the globe on fifteen U.S. State Department tours to teach, perform and choreograph contemporary dance with Washington D.C. based Company E. In 2017 they made North Carolina their home base where they work to cultivate the craft of storytelling through movement with their dance company, Stewart/Owen Dance. They are passionate cross-genre collaborators, incorporating work from local writers, musicians and filmmakers. They have choreographed music videos for artists such as Moses Sumney, Sylvan Esso and Ben Phantom. Gavin and Vanessa won the Audience Choice Award at the NYC Dance Gallery Festival 2018, were commissioned as Dance Gallery 2019 Level UP Artists, are recipients of a McDowell Regional Artist Project Grant, a North Carolina Artist Support Grant and were voted "Artists Who Most Pushed the Boundaries with the Human Body" by 2020 Asheville Fringe Arts Festival. Since the pandemic, they have focused on producing COVID-conscious dance experiences for live audiences, including drive-up performances and guided walk-along dance exhibits presented by Asheville’s beloved Wortham Center for the Performing Arts.
JANICE LANCASTER, DANCER
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Janice Lancaster is a Visiting Assistant Professor at Hollins University and adjunct instructor at the University of the NC School of the Arts. She recently completed a three-year position as a Teacher-Scholar Postgraduate Fellow at Wake Forest University. From 2005-2019, she performed internationally with Shen Wei Dance Arts and has received commissions from Hubbard St. 2, VIA Dance Collaborative, the Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center, Bard Music Festival, Bessie Schönberg Choreographer’s Residency on the Yard, Robert Wilson’s Watermill Center, and The Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art. Recent NC projects have been with The Coaction Lab/Algae Society, Kira Blazek Ziaii, Kristin Clotfelter/Studio C Projects, Zap McConnell, Ray Schwartz, and Christina Soriano. She holds a Master of Fine Arts from Hollins University/American Dance Festival, a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of NC School of the Arts, and is a certified Hatha and Restorative yoga teacher.
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http://www.janicelancaster.com
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MEGAN JONES MEDFORD, DANCER
Megan received a BA in Dance Education from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She spent six years living in NYC as a professional dancer and teacher. Along with free-lance work Megan was a company member with Periapsis Music & Dance, LiNK! the movement, and Shauna Sorensen and Dancers. Some of her performances include SummerStage, Jazz at the Lincoln Center, American Dance Guild Festival, Symphony Space, New York Moves, Carnival, and Choreographers Canvas. Megan trained with Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Alonzo King LINES Ballet, Martha Graham School, and American Dance Festival. She was on faculty for the Children & Teen Program at Broadway Dance Center and All Star Studios in NYC. She has guest taught and choreographed for studios and conventions around the States. Megan moved back to her hometown of Asheville, NC to start a family and to continue to share the art of dance through teaching and performing.
JOSH FINK, DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
MICHAEL LOWERY, LIGHTING DESIGNER
